It is well-known in the prior art to include an angle blade assembly that is attached to a frame of a work machine. In most instances, the angle blade assemblies are designed to perform various functions. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle blade assembly be capable of being raised, lowered, and angled relative to the frame of the work machine to perform the various functions. For example, angle blade assemblies are designed for bulldozing a flat surface wherein material is pushed in front of the angle blade assembly. In other configurations, the angle blade assemblies are designed so that a blade of the angle blade assembly can be angled in one direction or the other with respect to its travel path, thus, directing material to one side or the other of the travel path of the angle blade assembly. During these functions of the angle blade assembly, it is important to provide a trip mechanism so that encounters with raised manhole-lips, cracks and other unexpected obstacles that vary the elevation of the ground may be "cushioned" to protect the surrounding structure of the angle blade assembly. For this purpose, it is well-known to pivotally connect a blade and a frame of the angle blade assembly. The trip mechanism is generally connected between the blade and the frame and utilizes one or more springs that are preset at a desired tension. When the blade encounters the unexpected obstacles, it pivots about the frame in response to the varying ground elevation. Simultaneously, the springs compress or expand responsively to the pivotal movement as allowed by the preset tension, thereby, acting as a control for restricting the relative motion between the blade and the frame.
However, angle blade assemblies may also be used to remove dirt or debris from an area. When the angle blade assemblies are used for this function, the spring trip mechanism is not required. Generally, in order to disable the spring trip mechanism, the springs are removed and metal rods are inserted in place of the springs to restrict the movement between the blade and the frame. The removal the springs is sometimes difficult and time consuming. Therefore, the ability to disable the spring trip mechanism without removal of the springs is desired.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems as set forth above.